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Year 8 - Spanish

Who does what? SVO vs OVS word order, personal 'a'

Friendships and birthday celebrations: pronouns, 'gustar'-type verbs

Unit Summary

This unit introduces object-verb-subject word order with direct object pronouns 'lo' and 'la' and indirect object pronouns 'me', 'te', 'le'. Pupils describe events, friendships and relationships. Key sounds revisited are n, ñ, b, v.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to change the positions of the subject and object in a sentence and use them correctly to show who is performing the action and who is receiving it.

Key Notes

  • The sound-symbol correspondence [ñ] is pronounced as in 'español' and [n] as in 'mano'.
  • MAP is a useful strategy to learn vocabulary in a meaningful way.
  • In sentences, the subject does the action and the object receives it.
  • There are two frequently used word orders in Spanish: subject + verb + object and object + verb + subject.
  • We use the personal 'a' before the object if it's a person or animal.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • subject: person, people or thing(s) doing the verb
  • object: person, animal or thing that receives the action of the verb
  • personal 'a': preposition placed before a direct object when that object is a specific person or animal we have a name for

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • In Spanish, like in English, the object always goes after the verb.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

1. Explain what you can now say or understand in this lesson.

The sound-symbol correspondence [ñ] is pronounced as in 'español' and [n] as in 'mano'. MAP is a useful strategy to learn vocabulary in a meaningful way.

2. Define this key language word and use it in context. 'subject'

person, people or thing(s) doing the verb. Say or write it in a short sentence so you use the word actively.

3. Correct this common language-learning mistake.

Mistake: In Spanish, like in English, the object always goes after the verb. Correction: In Spanish, unlike in English, the object can go before or after the verb. In object-first sentences, we add the object pronouns lo (masculine) or la (feminine) before the verb.

More Lessons In This Unit

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